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15 March, 2011

So, I've been talking to a few people recently over a potentially awesome new list you can field with the new Grey Knights codex. I'll start out with the basics and we'll see how long it takes to catch on to the plan.

1. Servo Skulls. Several HQs and an Elite choice can take 3 each for some minimal cost like 5 points a piece. They reduce scatter on Deepstrikes and Blast Weapons as well as limiting Scouts/Infiltrate moves within 12". They can be fielded anywhere outside the enemy deployment zone. When the enemy gets within 6" they die.

2. Orbital Strike Relay (OSR). Amazing in the new codex. Three choices: Barrage Bomb, Lance Strike, Psyk-out Bomb. UNLIMITED uses. You can fire one per turn during Shooting provided you did not move during Movement. So you can have one model firing up to 7 Orbital Strikes. You do need LOS, but the range is Unlimited!

3. Grand Masters and Brother-Captains can take OSRs. Both your HQs can have them. Awesome. For some variation, Inquisitor Lord Karamazov is particularly mean. He can use his own men as "Orbital Strike Beacons." He costs the same as a Brother-Captain with OSR.

4. Techmarines. Techmarines? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, sir. Yes. You know why? 140 point Orbital Strikes. Every Techmarine can take an OSR for an upgrade, so you can bolster some ruins and chill in them, calling down strikes. Why yes, they are the Elite choice that can take Servo Skulls.

Of course, I don't have the codex yet, so I don't have the exact costs, but that should fall into the 1700-1750 range depending on the upgrades chosen. Basically you take your 15 skulls and grid them out over the field. You will lose a lot to enemy movement. They're just Servo Skulls. Who cares? The point is that if they destroy one, they should be in 12" range of another. Your OSR bearers will sit back and wait for the enemy to come to you. And to stymie those efforts, you have Strike Squads to prevent Deepstriking and Skulls to prevent Scout and Infiltrates. If the enemy does make it across the board, they have to make it through Strike Squads.

Another fun trick is to spend another 25 points to make a Brother-Captain a Grand Master so you can make units Scoring. This could be your Techmarines, or it could be Interceptors if you give up a Strike Squad (or if playing sufficiently high point games not even that).

The End Result is EXTERMINATUS: Up to 35 Orbital Strikes in one game. It's probably not the most competitive list, but it's gimmicky and silly enough that it'll probably throw your opponent off-kilter. For kicks, add in a house-rule: After 6 Orbital Strikes in one game, the entire board takes a S10 AP1 hit. Obviously the armies got caught in an EXTERMINATUS attempt during the battle.

09 March, 2011

Yeah. I know the new GKs are up for preorder. If you didn't know that too, well, now you do! I love the models. I think my favorite is the Draigo model. The helmeted variant, of course. I mean, just look at that shield! So I'm deciding on what to pick up. The crazy side of me says dump $400 and grab the codex, Draigo, 2 Dreadknights, 2 boxes of Terminators, 4 boxes of PAGKs, and a Techmarine. The Techmarine gets one of the spare Terminator heads (each box has 13 heads! They must have gotten Space Wolves fever putting it together). I'll say the Terminator box may be the best value out of them. You get a TON of options on the three sprues. You could probably even convert up a Librarian using the Warding Staff.

03 March, 2011

I got back from a couple weeks visiting friends and family. This means I got in a couple interesting games--one with Grey Knights and the other with the inaugural flight of the guppies. Fun Fact! Battle Missions is a good book. I'll have those Battle Reports up this weekend.

In the meantime, I've been thinking of what I can do to pare down my 1850 list to a solid 1500. The easy way out is naturally to drop the terminators or something silly like that. Or, if you know me at all, you'll have already guessed what I'd do. Of course, I'd rein in the Assault Marines. By cutting the 3 squads in half, I cut about 350 points. Boom. Done. The following list remains: